Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti has called on Federal Character Commission to focus more on deepening national unity and integration among the various facets of the nation’s diversity.

Fayemi made the call on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti while receiving a team from the commission, led by its Executive Chairman, Alhaja Muheeda Dankaka.

The governor noted that Nigeria, with its diversities, including ethnicity, culture and religion, required a body like FCC for national unity and integration.

He commended the commission for utilising wide range of initiatives to manage the diversities.

Fayemi expressed the need for FCC leadership to address, in particular, the fundamental inadequacies in gender representation in the country.

He also reiterated the urgent need to promote inclusion in all national activities.

The governor said that he was excited that the commission, in addition to addressing issues of employment and positions in government establishments, was also focusing on socio-economic amenities and even distribution of infrastructural projects across the country.

According to him, this is more important to the people who are concerned about the lopsidedness in project distribution in the country.

“Any effort taken in fostering national integration and unity should be commended by all of us, and this is one thing this body has been doing.

“I am particularly glad that you are moving away from just focusing on employment and positions in government to socio-economic amenities and distribution of infrastructural projects.

“This is more important to our people because of evident lopsidedness in the infrastructural project distribution in the country.

“We can really deepen the bond of unity and improve on our bridge-building efforts at a time that our country is going through challenges.

“This commission has a central role to really strengthen the bond of unity in Nigeria and I don’t think we have utilised you enough for this purpose,” Fayemi said.

He urged FCC to work in collaboration with other institutions of state to achieve its set objectives.

As stated in the second stanza of National Anthem: ‘to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign’, the only way to achieve that is to emphasise inclusion in everything being done.

Earlier, Chairman of the commission, Alhaja Muheeda Dankaka, said that FCC was established with the primary aim of ensuring a strong, virile and indivisible nation, based on fairness, equity and justice.

According to her, it is the commission’s focus to promote national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen a sense of belonging, notwithstanding the diversities which may exist.

Dankaka noted that the commission had realised most of its mandates in the areas of equitable distribution of social services and economic amenities.

“We have also achieved much in terms of monitoring government agencies, with the responsibility of providing road, power, transportation, housing and other projects.

“This is to ensure that their distribution adheres strictly to the federal character principle,” she said. (NAN)